The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAN

  • Journalist dies in auto crash

    Mr. Olusola Owolabi, a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin, died in a motor accident along Offa Garage Road in the city on Sunday night.

    An eyewitness said the deceased’s car somersaulted thrice and that he was rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital by a good samaritan, who witnessed the incident.

    NAN reports that he however died at the hospital’s emergency unit.

    Owolabi, an indigene of Ogbomoso in Oyo state, is survived by a wife, three children and parents.

    He joined NAN in 2008 as a reporter and rose to the rank of correspondent in 2011.

    Before joining NAN, Owolabi was a senior reporter with National Pilot Newspaper, Ilorin.

    Born on July 25, 1977, Owolabi held the Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Ilorin and a Post-Graduate Diploma of the International Institute of Journalism. .

    He was the Assistant Secretary, Kwara chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Correspondents’ Chapel.

     

  • Prices of agro-chemicals, seeds rise

    The prices of herbicides and seeds have gone up by about 20 per cent in Kaduna as the rainy season commences, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    A visit to some of dealers selling agriculture chemicals at the Kaduna Central Market indicated that the prices of herbicides such as roundup, atrisin and gramazone had risen from about N750 to as much as N1,050. Also, a two kilogramme bag of maize and guinea corn seeds now sale for N550 from the previous price of N450 before the rainy season, while that of soya beans has risen from N400 to N600.

    Mallam Musa said the Organising Secretary, Agro-Chemical Dealers Association in Kaduna State, attributed the increase to high demand.

    “We are having very high patronage, it is not about inadequate supply. It is a normal situation during the rainy season to have this slight increase,” he said.

    According to him, the demand is usually more than the supply at the beginning of the rainy season and this often leads to scarcity of the farm inputs.

    Musa said members of the association were not involved in the e-wallet programme of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

    He explained that even though some of the members were requested to open bank accounts for inclusion into the programme this year, “there is no response up till now”.

    The organising secretary expressed fears that the selection of dealers for the Growth Enhancement Service Scheme “may have been politicised.”

  • Gunmen kill four policemen in Yobe

    Gunmen kill four policemen in Yobe

    Gunmen struck in the early hours of Thursday, killing four policemen near their station in Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa local government area in Yobe, Police Commissioner in the state

    Sanusi Rufai said.

    Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policeman were attacked as they took guard behind the sand-bags which provided barriers at the entrance of the station.

    He said five of the gunmen were, however, killed.

    He said that although they failed in their plan to burn down the station, the gunmen carted away some rifles.

    “The gunmen came around midnight trying to enter the police station with an intent to burn it down, but were resisted by the police.

    “We lost four policemen and their rifles were carted away but the station was protected,” Rufai said.(NAN)

  • Arik, Aero, others slash fares

    Arik, Aero, others slash fares

    Domestic airline operators have reduced their fares, as part of measures to woo passengers.

    Some airline officials told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the move was to encourage travellers who could not afford the high fares.

    Arik Air, which sold its one-way ticket last week for between N30,000 and N40,000 to any destination in the country from Abuja, has reduced the fare to between N30,00 and N35,000 for economy class and N45,000 for business class.

    Also, Aero tickets, which were sold for N28,000 economy and N50,000 business class, have dropped to N21,400 and N49,000 respectively, while IRS charges between N22,000 and N25,000 for economy and N50,000 for business flyers.

    Med-View, a new airline, which started operation last week, charges between N15,000 and N19,000 for economy ticket and N49,000 on business class to Lagos.

    Aero Business Development Manager, Mark Snoxell said the airline reduced its fare to gain more business opportunities.

    He said the move would also help the airline to mitigate losses occasioned by flying with empty seats.

    An official of Arik Air, who pleaded anonymity, said two of its aircraft that were faulty on Friday had been rectified and certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to fly.

  • Media women of substance

    Media women of substance

    There are not many women who have made it to the top of the media profession in Nigeria like in other parts of the world. It is not for want of trying but journalism is very ‘masculine’ in many ways, making it difficult for many women to stay long enough to excel and prove that what a man can do, a woman can do better.

    There are, however, a few who have overcome the gender limitation in the media industry. One of them is Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who clocked 60 last week. To her credit she had also served creditably as the Special Adviser on Media to President Olusegun Obansanjo and was the first female President of Nigeria Guild of Editors.

    Under her leadership, the NAN has regained its lost glories as a foremost news agency in the continent.

    Her commitment to the development of the media profession which she has demonstrated over the years in the various positions she has served is very commendable.

    Honourable Abike Dabiri- Erewa of the House of Representative who also clocked 50 last week is another female journalist of note who should be celebrated for being a pride of the profession.

    From being an outstanding broadcast journalist in her days at the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Abike has moved on to becoming a notable legislator. She has done very well to earn a two-term tenure during which she has served as Chairman of the Media Committee and now Diaspora Committee.

    I congratulate these two women of substance and wish them many years of service to not only the media but the nation and humanity at large.

    Season of anomie

    The gruesome killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt in the Aluu community in Rivers State last week is yet another indication of the kind of times we live in. I managed to look at some of the pictures of the victims before and after they were killed but I have refused to watch the video recording of the incident.

    The agony on the face of one of the victims in one of the pictures I saw online has stuck in my memory that I am sure that watching the video will leave me too heartbroken. The killing of the students further confirms how cheap death has become in our society. I still shudder to think of the ease with which those who committed the savage act and their collaborators who cheered them carried on without any fear that the law would catch up with them.

    The various versions of the circumstances that led to the arrest of the students suggest that some of the villagers were just determined to kill the boys for whatever personal reasons. Whatever offence they might have committed, if indeed they did, does not justify the jungle justice they were subjected to.

    In the attempt to get even with criminals, some communities in the county have resorted to taking the law into their hands, and like in this case, innocent people have been killed. I would rather prefer that a criminal escape than for an innocent person to be killed. Sooner or later, the law will catch up with the criminals and they will be made to pay for their evil deeds.

    This particular case should be thoroughly investigated and all the perpetrators of the dastardly act brought to book to serve as a deterrent for others who have indulged in this kind of miscarriage of justice. Some security personnel were said to have witnessed the killing, they should not be spared as they could have called the killers to order if they really knew their duty. If they feared that they could be overwhelmed, they could have called for reinforcement instead of being onlookers like other civilians.